What is the relationship between preventive health care and physical examination?

I have been doing health management work in the community for almost seven years. Nine out of ten residents I have come into contact with will confuse the two. They either think that physical examination is all about preventive health care, or they think that if they do enough daily health care, there is no need for physical examination at all. In fact, to be precise, physical examination is the front-end "target" of preventive health care. The two are in a dynamic and complementary relationship, and no one can replace the other.

Last month, Aunt Li in our jurisdiction practiced Tai Chi and Baduanjin a lot, and made various health teas every day. She said that after so many years of preventive health care, there must be nothing wrong with her. She persuaded her three times before agreeing to a free senior physical examination. The results showed that her fasting blood sugar had reached the pre-diabetes stage. If she delayed for another year and a half, she would most likely have to take medication for life. You see, this is the missing step of physical examination. No matter how diligently we do preventive health care, we still fail to hit the mark. Many early health problems have no physical symptoms at all and cannot be felt through daily health care. They can only be discovered through targeted physical examination indicators.

There are also many people who think that if I spend thousands every year on the most comprehensive physical examination package, my health is guaranteed. Last year, a young man from an Internet company came to us to get the report of the unit group examination. In it, uric acid and triglycerides exceeded the warning line, and there was mild fatty liver. He glanced at it and did not see the words "tumor" and "to be re-examined". Heavy words, I stayed up all night eating skewers and drinking cold beer. Half a year later, I was hospitalized for an acute attack of gout. I regretted that I would have known better if I had followed the reminders in the report and adjusted my diet and rest routine. If a physical examination is not followed by follow-up preventive care, then the physical examination is equivalent to spending money on a "health photo", which is of no use except keeping a record.

Nowadays, there are different voices in the academic circles on the priorities of the two. Some public health scholars believe that physical examination is the core of preventive health care. Everyone should have a comprehensive physical examination every year to achieve early screening and nip the disease in its budding stage.； Some scholars have also suggested that basic preventive health care is the core. Low-risk people aged 20-30 who have no underlying diseases and have good living habits do not need to have a full physical examination every year. Excessive physical examinations may cause unnecessary radiation and invasive examination damage, and also cause a waste of medical resources. This view is also supported by a large amount of clinical data. When our community now provides health guidance to young people, it is also recommended that they have a basic physical examination every 2-3 years, and there is no need to blindly pursue annual high-end packages.

In fact, it is most convenient and cost-effective to use these two together. For example, if your bone mass is found to be low during a physical examination, you don’t need to buy all kinds of calcium supplements for follow-up preventive care. Just drink 300ml of milk every day, take 20 minutes to bask in the sun, and do some weight-bearing exercises. The money saved will be enough to go through several physical examinations.； On the other hand, if you have the habit of jogging all year round and have long-term stress on your knees, you can take the initiative to include an ultrasound examination of your knee joints during your physical examination. You do not have to follow others to do unnecessary items such as tumor gene testing. It is very accurate. When I explain it to residents, I always say that it is like driving a private car. A physical examination is equivalent to a vehicle condition test every period of time. Loose screws and worn tires can be detected in advance. Preventive care refers to follow-up maintenance and adjustment. If problems are found, make adjustments as soon as possible, so that you can drive longer and more stably, and avoid major breakdowns.